The vital role of collaboration between graphic designers and content marketers

Differing focus is one of the first ways that collaboration can break down. It’s important to be aware that both marketers and designers have their own focus. Marketers want to attract new leads and turn them into customers. Designers on the other hand are thinking about what thoughts and emotions the work generates for people.

Another pitfall to watch out for is the Silo Effect. Marketing and design are often separated into different teams, and to make matters worse many tasks like content writing can be outsourced. The separation can then be further exacerbated by differences in management style or physical distance. This type of isolation can lead to breakdowns in communication which end up hurting both teams.

No alignment between teams is the next cause. Having a shared goal or vision can be tough for two siloed teams. Sometimes the priorities will seem vague and unclear. A good way to avoid this is with a creative brief which will help get marketers and designers on the same page. But fair warning, a creative brief is not a cure-all. According to research by Visually, only 23% of designers believe that marketers do a good job briefing the project clearly. Meanwhile, less than 40% of marketers say that designers did a good job following a brief.

The last common problems are poor feedback, a lack of organization, and changes in scope. Both sides can be slow to provide feedback and only 30% of designers claim that marketers are good at giving feedback consistently and clearly. Scope changes mid-project can also be a disaster as one side underestimates how much work or time new changes will take. This can often result in poor performance or even burn out.

Finally, there’s disorganization. Everyone has their way of naming and distributing files. Multiple channels of sharing and an abundance of files can leave you wasting an inordinate amount of time searching for the right file.